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☆ 62 arrested in Europol-Interpol human trafficking crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, July 24 (Reuters) - Law enforcement from five countries have disrupted an intercontinental criminal network that was smuggling migrants from Cuba to the European Union, with the move leading to the arrest of 62 people, Europol and Interpol, who coordinated the international investigation, said on Monday. A Europol statement said the criminal network focused on Cubans in vulnerable situations, and that for 9,000 euros ($9,969.30), it would organise their journey to Europe and provide false documentation. In total, it is suspected that the criminal network successfully smuggled around 5,000 Cuban nationals into the EU. Besides the arrests, police also seized 18 pieces of real estate, 33 vehicles, and 144 bank accounts, alongside vast sums of cash in various currencies. ($1 = 0.9028 euros)Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charlotte Van Campenhout, Bernadette Baum Organizations: European Union, Interpol, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Cuba, Europe

☆ Titanic submersible: A robot is combing the sea floor for debris from the implosion as a multinational investigation begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Samantha Beech | Nouran Salahieh | Samantha Beech | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The US Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation to probe the implosion – the “highest level of investigation the Coast Guard conducts,” US Coast Guard chief investigator Capt. Military experts found debris from the ill-fated submersible about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on Thursday, the US Coast Guard previously said. “This case has been extremely complex, involving a coordinated international, interagency and private sector response in an unforgiving and difficult to access region of the ocean,” US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, said Sunday. The Coast Guard announced the vessel suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” killing everyone on board. Pelagic's remotely operated vehicle Odysseus 6 is lifted out of the ocean after searching for debris from the Titan submersible on June 22, 2023.

Persons: Jason Neubauer, ” Neubauer, “, ” Kathy Fox, Kent Osmond, John Mauger, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Odysseus, Neubauer, Paul Hankins, Jeff Mahoney, Mahoney, Rush, ” Rachel Lance, ”, Karl Stanley, ” Stanley, OceanGate, Guillermo Sohnlein, ” Sohnlein Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Marine Board, Investigation, Coast Guard, Authorities, Prince, Transportation, Board of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, Polar Prince, US, Guard, First Coast Guard District, OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Titan, Research, Research Services, Salvage Operations, Ocean Engineering, Deep Energy, US Navy, Navy, Duke University, Rush Locations: Canada, St, John’s, British, French, Bahamas

☆ Voice recordings and data from the mother ship that carried the Titanic-bound submersible before it imploded will be examined, investigators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Samantha Beech | Nouran Salahieh | Samantha Beech | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“The content of those voice recordings could be useful in our investigation,” Fox said. Communications between the submersible and its mother ship will also likely be scrutinized. The ship could communicate with the submersible by text messages, and it’s required to communicate every 15 minutes, according to the archived website of OceanGate Expeditions. The vehicles will work to map out the vessel’s debris field, which is more than 2 miles deep in the North Atlantic, Mauger said. When asked for comment about Stanley’s email, a spokesman for OceanGate told CNN they were unable to provide any additional information at this time.

Persons: ” Kathy Fox, John’s, ” Fox, John Mauger, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Kent Osmond, OceanGate, Guillermo Sohnlein, ” Sohnlein, “, Mauger, Paul Hankins, Jeff Mahoney, Mahoney, Rush, Karl Stanley, ” Stanley Organizations: CNN, Transportation, Board of Canada, US Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, OceanGate Expeditions, Communications, Titan, Getty, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, National Transportation Safety Board, US, Guard, Salvage Operations, Ocean Engineering, Research Services, Deep Energy, Rush, “ Locations: St, Newfoundland and Labrador, British, French, AFP, Bahamas

SYDNEY, June 21 (Reuters) - The chair of an Australian senate committee looking into PricewaterhouseCoopers' leak of a confidential government tax plan has called for an international investigation into the matter. Earlier this month, PwC Australia listed in an unpublished letter to the senate committee at least 67 current and former staff who may have known of the 2015 leak of confidential government tax plans. Acting CEO Kristin Stubbins apologised for the leak on behalf of the firm in an open letter last month. The report also called on PwC to cooperate fully with a current Australian Federal Police investigation. ($1 = 1.4778 Australian dollars)Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Richard Colbeck, PwC, Kristin Stubbins, Lewis Jackson, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: SYDNEY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Australian Federal Police, Thomson Locations: Australia

☆ Russia urges 'transparent' investigation into Nord Stream blasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - A "transparent and objective" international investigation in the blasts at the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines is needed, a high-ranking Russian diplomat to the United States said early on Wednesday. Commenting on reports that the U.S. reportedly warned Ukraine not to attack the pipelines under the Baltic Sea, Andrey Ledenev, minister-counsellor at the embassy, said the role of the United States in the blasts should also be "clarified". "It would be useful to think about the reasons for the stubborn unwillingness of the collective West to launch a transparent and objective international investigation under the auspices of the U.N. Security Council in the terrorist attacks in the Baltic Sea," Ledenev was quoted as saying in a post on the embassy's Telegram messaging channel. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrey Ledenev, Ledenev, Lidia Kelly, Muralikumar Organizations: . Security, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, U.S, Ukraine, Baltic, Melbourne

It is still unclear exactly what happened to Nord Stream, a multibillion-dollar project that carried Russian gas to Germany. Some U.S. and European officials initially suggested Russia had blown up its own pipelines, an interpretation dismissed as idiotic by President Vladimir Putin. Sub-sea cables which criss-cross the world's oceans have become the arteries of global communications. The intelligence chief of the NATO military alliance cautioned in May that Russia may sabotage undersea cables to punish the West for supporting Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly said the West was behind the Nord Stream blasts - particularly the United States and Britain, which both deny involvement.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Medvedev, Dmitry Peskov, Pulitzer, Seymour Hersh, Joe Biden, Peskov, Philippa Fletcher, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russia, CIA, U.S, The Washington Post, The New York Times, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Ukraine, Russia's Security, ., NATO, Reuters, White House, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Nord, Baltic, Germany, Russia, Russian, China, United States, Ukraine, NORD, Britain

Jerusalem CNN —A 3-year-old Palestinian boy died Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, days after he was shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank. He was shot on Thursday night near the Israeli settlement of Neveh Tzuf, north of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The child’s father, Haitham Tamimi, said he was going to visit his brother when he and Muhammad were shot. The child's father, Haitham Tamimi, said he was going to visit his brother when he and Muhammad were shot. The child was then transported, ventilated and in unstable condition, by IDF helicopter to Sheba-Tel Hashomer hospital in Israel.

Persons: Muhammad Haitham, Tamimi, Haitham Tamimi, Muhammad, ” Tamimi, “, couldn’t, I’m, Magen David Adom, ” Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, West Bank, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, MDA, IDF, Palestinian Foreign Ministry Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Neveh, Sheba, Tel Hashomer, Ramallah

☆ Ukraine claims that Russia plans to fake a major nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia power plant and force a ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine claims Russia is planning to stage an accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. "Russians are preparing massive provocation and imitation of the accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in the nearest hours," the Ukrainian defense ministry's intelligence directorate said on social media on Friday. Fighting has continually raged around the power plant, and both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for dangerous incidents of shelling hitting the site. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency has previously warned about the risks of "a severe nuclear accident" at the plant due to ongoing fighting. It was reported last week that Russian military forces had been enhancing defensive positions around the power plant ahead of the expected counteroffensive.

☆ Australia trade minister flies to China to lobby for 'full' restoration of exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Trade Minister Don Farrell arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a three-day visit to meet with his counterpart, Wang Wentao, according to the Chinese commerce ministry. It’s the first visit to China by an Australian trade minister since 2019. “I will be advocating strongly for the full resumption of unimpeded Australian exports to China — for all sectors — to the benefit of both countries,” he added. As a result, Australian exports to China fell by 13% in 2022, compared to the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. In March, Australia’s exports to China hit a record high, with the value of shipments reaching 19 billion Australian dollars ($12.8 billion).

☆ Police Raids Target Italian Mafia Across Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Margherita Stancati | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Police secured evidence on Wednesday during a raid in Saarlouis, Germany. Photo: Beckerbredel/DPA/Associated PressROME—Police in Italy, Germany and Belgium arrested 200 people linked to the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, in the most sweeping, cross-border operation to date against the West’s richest mob group. The early Wednesday raids were the result of an international investigation that spanned 10 countries and several years. The police operation deals a major blow to the ‘Ndrangheta, which emerged from Italy’s impoverished south to become a dominant player in the global cocaine trade.

☆ Russian embassy says US wants to play down involvement in Nord Stream blasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 29 (Reuters) - The Russian embassy in the U.S. said on Wednesday Washington is seeking to play down damaging information about the alleged involvement of its intelligence services in last year's blasts that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Moscow failed on Monday to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. Russian officials reacted angrily and the Kremlin said on Tuesday it would keep demanding an international investigation. The Russian embassy in the U.S. said in a statement posted on its Telegram messaging platform that Washington is doing "everything possible" to prevent "impartial efforts" establish circumstances around the explosions. "We see this as an obvious attempt ... to play down information from reputable journalists that is damaging for the United States about the likely direct involvement of American intelligence services," the embassy said in the statement posted in Russian.

☆ Russia may demand compensation over Nord Stream explosions -diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Gazprom PAO FollowMOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) - Moscow may seek compensation over damage from last year's explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing a Russian diplomat. The pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were hit by unexplained blasts last September in what Moscow called an act of "international terrorism". "We do not rule out later the raising of the issue of compensation for damage as a result of the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines," Dmitry Birichevsky, the head of Russia's Foreign Ministry department for economic cooperation, said in an interview with the news agency. He added that Western countries were opposing a Russia-prepared draft U.N. Security Council resolution urging an independent international investigation of the Nord Stream blasts. "Despite this, we intend to continue to insist on a comprehensive and open international investigation with the mandatory participation of Russian representatives," Birichevsky said.

☆ Russia fails at UN to get Nord Stream blast inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia failed on Monday to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September on the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany that spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, the United States or Britain to pass. They said in a joint letter to the Security Council that the damage was caused by "powerful explosions due to sabotage." The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have also called the incident "an act of sabotage." Russia has complained that it has not been kept informed about the ongoing national investigations.

☆ Swiss antitrust agency names four firms in fragrances cartel probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Swiss flavours and fragrances maker Givaudan is seen at its innovation center in Kemptthal, Switzerland January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannZURICH, March 8 (Reuters) - Swiss antitrust authorities on Wednesday named four companies targeted in an international investigation into an alleged fragrances cartel. They are Switzerland's Givaudan SA (GIVN.S), U.S.-headquartered Firmenich International, U.S.-based International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF.N) and Germany's Symrise AG (SY1G.DE), Swiss competition commission COMCO said. News of the probe into the supply of fragrances and fragrance ingredients broke on Tuesday, when fragrance and flavour maker Givaudan confirmed it was being targeted. A Symrise spokesperson confirmed the group was part of the investigation and would cooperate with authorities.

☆ Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines may have been sabotaged by pro-Ukraine group, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Nord Stream pipeline explosions last year may have been the work of a pro-Ukraine group. A report in the New York Times on Tuesday cited new intelligence seen by US officials. US officials have reviewed data that indicates that the perpetrators were Ukrainian or Russian nationals and supportive of Kyiv, the report said. Gazprom, which owns the Nord Stream pipeline, saw its revenue halved as a result. Meanwhile, Russia recently decided to leave the pipelines in disrepair, effectively giving up on the European market for its gas exports.

☆ North Korea's state media backs Russian call for probe into pipeline blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Moscow has maintained, without providing evidence, that the West was behind the blasts that damaged the pipelines in September and has called for an international investigation. North Korea has publicly supported Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago and expressed support for Russia's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine, which most countries have rejected. The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia as well. The ruptured Nord Stream pipelines are set to be sealed up and mothballed as there are no immediate plans to repair or reactivate them, sources familiar with the plans have told Reuters. Reporting by Josh Smith and Jihoon Lee Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia wants UN Security Council to ask for NordStream blast inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Russia wants the United Nations Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into September attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, connecting Russia and Germany, that spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. Russia gave the 15-member council a draft resolution on Friday, seen by Reuters, which would ask U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an international investigation into the "sabotage" and identify who was to blame. A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia to pass. This means a vote could coincide with meetings of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council to mark the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have called the incident "an act of sabotage."

Russia, without providing evidence, has repeatedly said the West was behind the blasts affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany. In his blog post, entitled "How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline", Hersh said a plan was hatched in 2021 at the highest levels in the United States to destroy the pipelines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this month that Washington was directly involved in the sabotage of the pipelines. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said there would be "consequences" for Washington, adding the report was not a surprise for Russia as it had long considered the United States and possibly other NATO members were behind the blasts. The United States should pay "compensation to countries affected by the terrorist attack", Volodin added.

☆ Russia calls for international probe into Nord Stream blasts after blogger report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A blog by a U.S. investigative journalist alleging the United States was behind the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines should become the basis for an international investigation, Russia's top lawmaker said on Thursday. Volodin said the United States should pay "compensation to countries affected by the terrorist attack." Moscow, without providing evidence, has repeatedly said the West was behind the explosions affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. President Vladimir Putin has accused "Anglo-Saxon" powers of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines, a Kremlin-designed project to circumvent Ukraine in exporting its gas directly to Germany and further to Europe. Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday the United States had questions to answer over its role in explosions on the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines last year.

☆ Democrats urge House Speaker McCarthy to deny GOP Rep. George Santos access to classified info
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two congressional Democrats asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday to restrict Republican Rep. George Santos' access to classified information, arguing the scandal-plagued freshman lawmaker "cannot be trusted" with confidential materials. "It is clear that Congressman George Santos has violated the public's trust on various occasions," Reps. Joseph Morelle and Gregory Meeks, both from Santos' own state of New York, said in a letter to McCarthy. "His unfettered access to our nation's secrets presents a significant risk to the national security of this country," the Democrats wrote. "We urge you to act swiftly to prevent George Santos from abusing his position and endangering our nation." Santos' "untrustworthiness could warrant the Intelligence Community to slow down or limit certain classified information it shares with Congress," they told McCarthy.

“To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week,” Santos tweeted on Dec. 22. After images surfaced showing Santos dressed in drag, Santos insisted it was “categorically false” that he had ever performed as a drag queen. A Siena College survey released Monday showed many New York voters seem to agree with Stern’s assessment. Just 16% of New York voters said they viewed Santos favorably — including a mere 15% of Republicans. Additionally, 59% of New York voters said Santos should resign while just 17% said he should not.

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The premium of high-grade thermal coal over coking coal in Asia is shrinking as China's re-opening and ending of a ban on imports from Australia powers a rally for coking coal, a key steelmaking ingredient. Newcastle thermal coal futures have traded above coking coal contracts since June 1 last year - something that had not occurred previously in the history of the two contracts. At the same time, coking coal prices weakened as steel production outside China softened while the global economy simultaneously tried to deal with an energy crisis and the accompanying surge in inflation. Thermal coal vs coking coal pricesAUSTRALIA EXPORTSIt's worth noting that the end of Beijing's unofficial ban on coal imports from Australia has yet to show up in any meaningful way in China's imports, although there are signs that coking coal flows will resume. This raises the possibility that coking coal prices will continue to rally, while thermal coal prices may soften as the northern winter ends.

☆ Russian Wagner mercenary commander detained in Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Norwegian police have detained a former commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who recently fled to Norway, but his lawyer dismissed suggestions that he might be deported to Russia. Medvedev said he had been detained and handcuffed on Sunday at a hotel where he was staying and taken to a detention center. Gulagu.netPolice had detained Medvedev as there was “disagreement” between them about the measures taken to ensure his safety, Risnes said. Gulagu.net said Medvedev would face “brutal murder and death” for speaking out against Wagner if he was returned to Russia. He has said he crossed the snowy Arctic Circle border into Norway, a NATO member, from Russia after climbing through barbed-wire fences and evading a border patrol with dogs.

☆ Norway detains former Wagner commander, denies any plan to deport him to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Former Wagner Group commander seeking asylum in NorwayPolice detained him amid disagreement on security measuresRussian rights group says he fears being deported to RussiaPolice, lawyer deny any plan to deport MedvedevOSLO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Norwegian police have detained a former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who recently fled to Norway, but denied suggestions that he might be deported to Russia. Medvedev said he had been detained and handcuffed on Sunday at a hotel where he was staying and taken to a detention centre. Gulagu.net said Medvedev would face "brutal murder and death" for speaking out against Wagner if he was returned to Russia. He has done many bad things in his life," the rights group said. He has said he crossed the snowy Arctic Circle border into Norway, a NATO member, from Russia after climbing through barbed-wire fences and evading a border patrol with dogs.

NBC News has repeatedly contacted Santos’ team with requests for comment about his lies and other allegations against him. Here is a timeline mapping out the controversy:Nov. 3, 2020: Santos loses his first bid for Congress to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. Sept. 6, 2022: Santos files his personal financial disclosure report, claiming his assets are as much as $11 million. The New York Times later reported that none of the 49 victims appear to have worked at the various firms named in his biography. In another Dec. 26 interview with the New York Post, Santos acknowledges some of the specific fabrications in his résumé.

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